I hit an all-time low after a week of chaotic school drop-offs and pick-ups.

I finally got to go to my happy place, the gym, and in typical fashion I was late for the class.

My fob wasn't working to get through the barriers. There was a queue of people with the same issue at reception.

Read more: Siobhan O'Connor: No wonder kids want phones... they copy what we do as parents

Impatient to sweat out the rage, I jumped over the glass turnstile, like a criminal on the run.

The gym manager saw me and hauled me into his office. I felt like a teenage rebel summoned to see the principal.

He said in the 20 years he has worked at the gym he has never seen "such a dangerous reckless act".

Mortified, I apologised profusely telling him it was a "crazed moment".

Later that night I jumped into the sea and let out a guttural roar.

The vast majority of primary schools in Ireland do not favour the working parent, they favour those who don't work. We've spent the summer months shipping our brood to camps so we can work, and we're even worse off now that they're back to school.

My youngest Eila started primary school last week and was in for a sum total of two hours each day. This was in a bid to "ease" her in.

I admit I should have taken annual leave to accommodate the mayhem.

Eila starts at 9am and is out again at midday, while Erin, in first class, is in from 8.35am to 2.15pm and this will continue for another week.

A friend's son who is in a Deis school has a homework club until 4pm and a breakfast club from 8am, all free of charge.

He gets a free hot lunch too. Not all Deis schools are the same, yet by and large they support working parents.

In the rest of the schools across middle Ireland there are no after-school supports, not even the paying kind.

If schools charged us for after-school facilities we would not mind paying - it's the lack of any support that's the issue.

I've been on a waiting list for two years for a privately-run after-school but it will not kick in for another week until the junior infants are "settled" and the staggering ends.

In the meantime, if you don't have the flexibility to work nights and early mornings as a parent, you are snookered.

Why is it that schools in Europe and the UK can keep the kids until 4pm?

I've been up and down to the school like a yo-yo.

Staggered school times are killing parents.

And this week they sent me over the edge.

Vast majority of primary schools favour those who don't work

Get the latest RSVP headlines straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter

Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this LINK to receive your daily dose of RSVP Live content. We also treat our community members to wonderful competitions, promotions, along with great stories. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice